California truck accident leads to 4 deaths, multiple injuries
One bus ride recently turned tragic in California. The accident occurred when a tractor-trailer spilled several steel pipes onto the highway where the bus was driving. This caused a truck accident that led to the deaths of four bus passengers and caused several other passengers to suffer serious injuries.
The incident occurred on Interstate 10 in the afternoon. The truck was going east and ended up jackknifing onto the middle part of the road. At that time, it spilled its load onto all of the road’s lanes, officials said. The bus driver tried to avoid hitting the cargo, but the westbound vehicle ended up hitting the pipes and flipped over. The bus slid down an embankment.
The bus had 32 passengers and was driving overnight as part of its trip from Texas to California. One person said he struck the ceiling and landed on top of a man who was already dead. Many people on the bus were screaming, he said. Two vehicles in the lanes going east also were involved in the wreck, but no one suffered injuries in those collisions.
Four people died, seven suffered critical injuries and 14 other people were evaluated for minor injuries, including bruises and bumps, according to California authorities. The bus driver wasn’t hurt. The truck driver and the driver’s employer may face civil claims for liability for the deaths and injuries resulting from the massive truck accident. This is because the injured people and the families of the deceased victims have the right to sue, based upon proof of negligence that is deemed to have directly led to the crash and injuries and deaths that resulted.
Source: CBS News, “Deadly bus crash outside Blythe, California, near Arizona border“, , May 21, 2014